I hate PARTY BAGS...

[noonar]

...and i know that loads of you do too. so why does everyone give them? would you judge your host if they didnt give one?? what could i do instead- any ideas?

dd will be 5 by the way, and i just cant bring myself to spend £1.50 a head on plastic shite and sugar in a bag.

Hmm - footballs tied up with a pink ribbon?

thanks all. tiny, i dont WANT to go with the flow, though i hate binning all the plastic junk that my dds get. i also dont think they need MORE sugar after a party. it just leads to arguments with my girls, as they want to stuff themselves on the way home. never know when to stop. just like their mother! dont want to inflict that on other families.

I have been into town in my lunchhour and have decided what I am going to do. DS is having a football themed party. In Wilkinson's they have a pencil case, pencil, rubber, ruler and pencil sharpener in a football design in a little pack for £1. So I am going to buy each child one, open it up, stick all the contents in the case, add a couple of choc footballs (Woolies pick n mix) and a piece of cake and there you are, a party pencil case for about £1.05/each. Will get fairy ones for the girls.

Last year I gave everyone a Mr Men book (£1.50) and a slice of cake and balloon. It was easy and not too expensive. Being honest, anything goes I think. If you want to just do pieces of cake, you do that.

have just realized that the entertainer with give them all a balloon model anyway. will that be enough, with a piece of cake?

Last year at DD's 4th birthday party we did books from The Book People.

Just planning her 5th party now. Think we are incorporating the craft table activity with the party bag: hthinking of getting little mugs that they decorate with special pens. Will then whisk them away, partially fill with shredded paper, top with a cup cake (which is what we are having instead of a big cake) and a handful of mini eggs/smarties/jellybeans/ or similar.

i did a note book, some mini pens, stickers, aunt did balloon on a stick, a small bag of jellybeans, fingerpuppet monsters for boys and little bracelet for girls.

each guest at dd1's 4th party also made a door hanger with their name on to take home.

I was at a party on Sat and my DD was sent home with a full size paper parasol. It was beautiful and she loved it. I don't know where you can get them though.

We don't do party bags, but we do give a going-home present - usually a balloon+bottle of bubbles+piece of cake/gingerbread man, or one 'big' thing like a book or packet of decent colouring pencils. One year we gave packets of glow-in-the-dark stars, another year large squidgy spiders and beetles (very popular! ).

I keep an eye out for these things trhoughout the year.

I have had children standing in the dooor, going-home present in their hand, asking "where's my party bag?".

but why should we give THEM a present at all?? humbug!

agree noonar! I don't get presents when I go to parties!!

But...they do expect them and, tbh, I don';t think they care what's inside!

(for the record - DS1's 5th party recently they got a small notepad from Wilko's - 18p, a glittery pencil - Tesco's, a little number puzzle thing - also Tesco, a packet of buttons and the obligatory piece of cake)

I went to a party where the children all had personalised place mats - which were, in fact, printouts from some Disney site and the child's name along the bottom, laminated.

Brill idea because:

Fewer fights over who's sitting where and next to whom and I don't like him he smells etc.

Kids took them home.

Plastic crap, but useful.

Know anyone with a laminator?!

I think most parents will be relieved not to receive lots of bits of tat and sugar crap.

I'm sure I'm not the only one who throws it all out once they've gone to bed, hoping they won't notice in the morning. And actually, they don't notice...what does hat tell you?

last year a got some of those big round balloons on elastic (from Wilkos) and filled them with rice, they make noisy punch balls. these and a slice of cake, was what they got and they all seemed happy.

I like the footrball idea though, will store that one away!

Also what I did another year, when we had a cowboy and Indian party:

I roped my dad in to take a photo of each child dressed up as they arrived and then whilst the party was on he went and printed each photo out on a (pre-prepared) WANTED Poster, which I'd done on tea stained and burnt edge paper. We then rolled them up and tied with a ribbon to take home.

All very time consuming, I admit. but they did look very good.

My dad thought up and individual cowboy or Indian name for each of them on their poster too 'Run Like the Wind Rory' and 'Two guns Eddie' etc etc.
Twas very good.

The one good thing is that it is a way to tempt them towards the door and quickly shove them out when the party is over!

I did books last year for 6 y o, My Horrid Henry 10 pack for the 6-7s backfired somewhat when the best friend got jealous of the toddler's picture books I had for the 2 extra little sisters, I got wails and loud complaints("I don't LIKE Horrid Henry!Waaahh!") S*d that, lazy little git.

I just caved this month on the bags for the 4 year old's party, and overspent in toys R us as no time to search around, but I REALLY resent it, and think they are ruining the planet too with this trash. All you can do is bin it. What sort of example is this? that you are entitled to so much stuff you don't even have time to play with it. I am still cringeing on what I spent, how much I worried and what a hassle it was. Why?????

Maybe we should set up a mumsnet party bag exchange, for all the untouched little toys they cart home every week?

I refuse to do party bags on principle.

However, it is easy for me to say that, as I have a friend who is a party entertainer, and as part of his "package", he gives out wee party bags (albeit with a flier for his business), into which I put my slices of cake wrapped up in a napkin.

If and when ds (6) grows out of Silly Billy (he's had him 3 uyears in a row and stil thinks he's great), I'll make my stand about part bags then and just send the kids hoome with a piece of cake.

Will I be so brave when the time comes?

I really like the idea of photo print-outs. It is time consuming, but it shows more thought. I am not sure that I am that organised to pull it off though! Maybe I could get hubby to help as he deals with computers on a daily basis?

Hey, maybe I won't do one at all...hmmm!

We have a 6th birthday to do in the first week of May (girls) - maybe a packet of seeds to plant in the garden???? At least it is more environmentally friendly - or do you think I am likely to have them thrown back at me by some very disappointed 6yr olds!?

I hate party bags too.
I do them though.

our guests will leave with a ballooon and a piece of cake. dd will have upto 30 guests. we will pay for the hall hire and the entertainer and food. party bags just seem an extra, unnecessary expense. f*ck it. lets all boycott party bags! the more i think about it, the more i dont want to give gifts. humbug- again.

I'm doing them...but with two glitter pens, two little cakes in metallic cases and a gingerbread man.

for how many guests? i want dd to be able to invite most of her class,but i cant do 30 quality party bags!

20. Most of it's done in advance.

D'you know what though - I agree with majorstress - they're the signal that the party's over and it's time to go home, and at DD's recent party I was very glad to see the party bags being handed out for exactly that reason.

I took a hint from another mumsnet thread and ordered 20 inflatable guitars from here for a party in March. With VAT and postage they work out at £1.35 each. So that and a bit of cake is all they're getting! I'll let you know how they are received.

ellceeell - are you going to blow them all up, or leave that to them?